Twisted Fate
by Lyrical.Laughter
Summary: Fate has not been kind to Theresa, she's in an abusive relationship and her mother has had a heart attack, when she goes back home will her fate be set right? TheresaEthan
1. One

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Demitris (you can have him if you want him, lol) and a few others, everything else belongs to J.E.R. so don't sue. 

A/N:I started this story over three years ago when I was fifteen, since then my writing has improved, I hope, so I'll be updating every chapter and making it a better story with little things, the plot will basically be the same but I hope to give this story more depth. It is the sequel to my other fic 'Help Me Find My Way' but it's a pretty bad story so if you don't feel like reading here's a summary. Before Theresa turned into the horrible, mean person she is now and before she had little Ethan and married Julian, she and Ethan realized they loved each other when they were trapped by an avalanche, he and Gwen broke up after she cheated on him so Ethan and Theresa got together. After 'Help Me Find My Way' something happens to seperate Ethan and Theresa and she runs off to New York and gets married, this is five years later so here's the story! 

Theresa sat at her desk working on some new designs for her own company fashion company, Fate. She had just finished a wedding gown and it was just like the one she had sketched all of those years ago when was seventeen and she had thought she was going to marry Ethan Crane. She took another sip of coffee and decided to call it quits for the night. She grabbed her purse and locked her drawers and then her office as she left and went to her car. It was extremely loud, it being a New York City Friday night. "I'd better get home before I upset Demitris," she said frowning as she thought of her husband. She got into her car and drove to their apartment. When she got there she put her coat and purse up and then went into the kitchen where Demitris sat.   
  
"Theresa, you're late again! When I get home I expect dinner to be on the table and it's almost nine o'clock!" he said slamming his fist down on the beautifully carved oak table.  
  
"I'm sorry I had to finish up a design for a wedding, it won't happen again," said Theresa softly, her eyes downcast and looking at her feet.  
  
"The hell it won't! You are quitting tomorrow," said Demitris standing up and walking towards her.  
  
Theresa took an involuntary step back, no she couldn't let this happen again, she would not let him hit her. "We've discussed this before, I love my company and I'm not just going to sell it," said Theresa sternly.  
  
"You will do what I say you will do!" he said slamming her against the wall.  
  
Theresa felt his hot breath on her face and she felt the familiar feeling of fear well up in her heart. She could almost feel bruises forming as he held her wrists at her sides. "It's MY company. I will not quit just so you can have dinner at a sufficient time. You want dinner then make it yourself!" said Theresa staring him straight in the eye, he wasn't going to hit her, he loved her.   
  
"You have become far to defiant!" he said grabbing a butcher knife from the counter.  
  
Theresa whimpered and closed her eyes, praying. He had never been this angry. "Let me go now, Demitris, you're my husband, I love you," Theresa pleaded as she tried to wiggle away from him. Before she knew it she felt warm moisture coming from her neck as Demitris let go of her. She slowly reached up and saw the blood on her hand as tears came down her cheeks. "You son of a bitch!" she said with venom in her voice as he let go of her.  
She tried to duck as his hand flew at her but she wasn't fast enough and it made contact with her skin and she cried out.  
"You're a worthless piece of trash, Theresa. I'm out of here."  
She watched as he grabbed his coat and left and she knew exactly where he was going, to _her_ apartment. Theresa wasn't stupid; she knew where he went in the middle of the night, and who he went to.  
She picked herself up off of the floor and touched her cheek, which she could already feel swelling. He had always been so careful, never once touching her face, arms or neck; it was always her back, her stomach or her legs. Neither of their reputations could afford it if the truth came out, he knew that as much as she did, but right now she didn't care about her reputation.   
She went into the bathroom and looked at her neck. It wasn't deep but it was still bleeding. She debated going to the emergency room but that would only raise suspicion, there were only so many times you could use aliases and the same old excuses before someone caught on to what was happening..  
She took a wash cloth and held it to her neck as she went into the bedroom. She pulled her travel suitcases out from under the bed and started packing. Maybe a couple weeks away would do them both some good, give him time to forgive her.   
  
She got in her BMW and started driving, the lights of New York held no beauty for her, as they use to, she had always been so caught up in the magic of the city but now it held nothing for her. Her drive ended itself at a small bed and breakfast called the Comfy Inn, she had been here a few times before and it was a nice place, and they were discreet. She had a scarf covering her wound and was thankful that it had stopped bleeding. Her large fashionable sunglasses covered most of the forming bruise but not all of it; she had always thought he loved her enough not to hit her in the face, well next time she'd make dinner earlier.  
The Innkeeper looked at her bruise and Theresa flushed, fearing he would say something but he didn't. She smiled as he gave her the key and then she went to her room and locked the door.   
She called down and ordered a bottle of wine and something to eat and then she began to unpack. Theresa was unpacking the last of her suitcases when at the bottom found a little pink baby dress. She had forgotten that she had put that in there last year. She had designed it five years ago when she was pregnant, it had been her favorite and she hadn't been able to throw it away with all the rest of the clothes. But it didn't matter anymore; her baby was dead, and no matter what nothing could change it. That the baby had been her last tie to Eth……no she wouldn't say that name it was too painful. The wine came and Theresa uncorked it and took a drink with out bothering with a glass. She gently picked up the baby dress and under it was a book titled 'Help Me Find My Way'. She opened it up, took another gulp of wine and read the first page.   
My dearest Theresa,  
I give this book to you with all the love in my heart. You are so special to me and you will always be a part of me. Thank you for helping me find my way.  
Love Ethan,  
  
He loved her? That was a joke, she took the book and flung it across the room, she tried to stop the tears that were beginning to fall but it was no use, how could someone who loved her betray her like he had that night.   
  
  
_ Five years ago…..  
"Ethan, how could you!?" she screamed at him anger flashing in her eyes but tears on her cheeks.  
  
"Theresa I thought—," he ran his fingers through his hair looking helplessly at her not knowing what to say or how to explain.  
  
"I don't care, I hate you! We made love and the next night I find you with _Gwen_!! I hate you so much it makes me sick!" she said running away from him.   
  
  
_ "How did my life end up like this?" she asked herself, one minute everything had been perfect and the next she wasn't sure she even wanted to live anymore, so much for Fate making everything turn out right. "I have nothing and no one anymore," she whispered to herself, "No one cares anything about me anymore, Demitris is right, I'm worthless, no one would care if I died." She looked at her purse and after a moment she picked it up and opened it. Inside was a bottle half full of aspirin. She got up and taking the aspirin and bottle of wine with her that was by now almost half empty, and went into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and saw her horrible she looked, her hair was a mess and her make up was smeared and the bruise…she looked at it and thought of the other bruises she had, all over her body and on her soul, it just wasn't worth it. She took another drink of wine and then she sat it down on the sink. She opened the bottle of aspirin and put ten pills in her mouth ….  
  
Ethan was sitting at the dinner table with his family, Sam, Ivy, Kay, Jessica, Reese and their baby Amy. He still couldn't believe that his mother and father were together and he had a real family that cared about more than money. Almost six years ago when Ivy had announced to Sam that he was Ethan's father Sam had shunned Ivy but welcomed him into the Bennett family. At first Grace Bennett had been furious with the whole situation and resentful of Ethan but after a few months he had begun to forge a relationship with his step mother, but that summer Grace and Charity were involved in a terrible car accident and neither had survived. The police had said the neighbor, Tabitha Lenox had cut the brake lines, when they arrested her she kept insisting that she was a witch and it was her duty to destroy all goodness, when they took her to a mental hospital to see if she was fit to stand trial she escaped with her doll and no one had seen or heard from her since.  
When Kay found out that her mother and Charity had died she was devastated and had a breakdown where she confessed all of the things she had done to sabotage Charity and Miguel's relationship, Sam had put her in counseling and she got better and her and Miguel had recently resolved their issues and were friends again. Just two weeks ago Sam and Ivy had started talking again and now they were just friends but Ethan hoped they could be more because he loved them both. Only one thing was missing from his life…Theresa. He hoped she was happy even though it wasn't with him. He wondered what she was doing right now…..  



	2. Two

Theresa spat the pills out of her mouth and poured the wine down the drain, she didn't know what she was thinking, she couldn't do that to her family, and even though it had been a while since she'd talked to them she knew that she couldn't put them through that pain. She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face hoping it would make her feel better, it didn't. She sat down on the floor, her back resting against the bed wondering what she was going to do tomorrow, everyday seemed like a new challenge that she had to make herself face and she was so tired of it. Maybe she could take a vacation to the Bahamas or somewhere tropical where she could rest and have massages all day and where she didn't have to think about anything except whether to go to the sauna or the hot tub. She decided to call her travel agent in the morning and maybe when she came back Demitris wouldn't be mad at her anymore. She climbed into bed with out bothering to get undressed and laid there half the night thinking.  
  
She woke up with a start to a loud pounding sound and it took her a moment to realize that someone was at the door; she didn't need three guesses to know who it was. "I'm coming," she said loudly and she winced as pain shot through her head, she had never been a heavy drinker and half a bottle of wine really left its impression.   
"Go away," she said not opening the door but speaking loud enough so that he could hear her.  
"Come on baby, I'm sorry about last night but you know how my temper is. I bought you three dozen roses to apologize, please let me in, they're yellow, your favorite."  
Theresa didn't bother to tell him that she didn't even like yellow roses, that she had never liked them. She had had enough of the beatings, of her life, she wanted…no, needed…to change her life and last night she had made up her mind to start with him. "All the roses in the world can't make me go back with you, so leave or security will arrest you for harassment and I doubt that would make you look good to the other senior members in your firm," she knew that if she threatened his reputation he would think twice about bothering her, she had tried to ply before but she had never really planned on telling anybody what he did to her, and he had known it, but this time it was different, she was tired of being the victim.  
  
She listened for a minute and all was quiet, she sighed and laid back on the bed and then her cell phone rang.  
"Hello?"  
"This isn't over, Theresa; I swear I'll kill you before I'll let you walk away from our marriage. No one is ever going to love you but me, you aren't worth anything—" she hung up on him and hoped he wouldn't call back anytime soon. She had taken a shower and ordered breakfast when her cell phone rang again.  
"I told you it's over—," she began.   
"Theresa?"  
"Luis? Is that you?" asked Theresa, it had been a long time since she'd talked to her big brother but she could sense something was wrong.  
"You need to come home right now; Mama just had a heart attack."   
"No," whispered Theresa disbelievingly, "Is she okay?"  
"I don't know yet, I'm on my way to the hospital right now. I think you should come home, she needs you."   
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said and then she hung up.   
'Home' that word echoed in her mind, after five years she was going home.  
  
Ethan sat in the kitchen of his house with Jessica and her seven month-old-baby, Amy. "I'd be happy to baby-sit for you and Reese while you go on your vacation, it's only a few days I can handle it."  
"Thanks, Ethan. You're the best," she said kissing her big brother's cheek, they were very close and Ethan had become good friends with her husband Reese.  
"I have to go home and get her diapers and other stuff and I'll bring them back here, okay?"  
"Sure. I'll be here," said Ethan as Jessica took Amy and left.  
  
Ethan sat at the table thinking about Theresa, even after all this time she was still never far from his mind. "Damn, why did I let her leave me?" he asked himself, it was a question that went that went through his mind almost everyday. He went up to his room and reached under his bed. He brought out a shoebox, it was full of pictures and little mementos, like the tapes they had made to each other after they'd both been injured and unable to see each other, he hadn't listened to them in years, and he didn't think he wanted to, it would be too hard, hearing her voice. Everyday he wished that he would have held her instead of letting her go; if he would have made her understand then she wouldn't be in New York, married to Demitris Louis. There were so many 'if's', but he knew that he couldn't go back and change any of it. In the shoebox was a picture of her smiling at him and he picked it up, thinking back on how wonderful their relationship had been, until she had found Gwen Hotchkiss' in his bed. But Gwen had drugged him and he had never gotten to tell her that. The doorbell rang and he got up and smiled when it was Jessica with Amy.  
"Okay, Ethan, here are her diapers, her bottles, her formula, the baby wipes and clothes," she said handing him a baby bag. "This one has toys, blankets, her pacifier and some other things. In the trunk of my car I have her portable crib, her car seat is in the back and her baby-carrier is too so let's go get it."  
Ethan smiled; this was going to be an interesting few days.   
  
An hour later Ethan was in his living room changing Amy's diaper and watching the news when he got a phone call. "Hello?"  
"Ethan, this is Sheridan, you need to get to the hospital right away. Pilar just had a heart attack."  
Ethan practically dropped the phone. "I'll be right there," he said hanging up. He finished changing Amy and then he drove to the hospital, hoping the woman who had almost been like a surrogate mother to him was going to be okay, if not for his sake then for Theresa's.  
  
Theresa bought a plane ticket for the first plane she could find to Augusta, and the whole way there she fidgeted, she needed Demitris, someone to be with her. She kept wondering if her mother was dying whiles she was in the plane and she berated herself for ever leaving Harmony. She should have stayed with her family, if she had been there to look after Pilar this wouldn't have happened, it was all her fault. From Augusta she rented a car and then started the half hour drive to Harmony. When she finally passed the 'Welcome to Harmony' sign memories of her life there started to resurface, the park where she and Whitney use to play when they were children, the Book Café, the Lobster Shack, she finally felt like she was home. She desperately wished that she was that naïve carefree teenager who thought her life was destined to be filled with happiness. It was only when she got to the hospital did she realize that she was crying. She parked the car and hastily went inside and asked about her mother.  
  
Ethan was sitting in the waiting area with Miguel, Kay, Luis, and Sheridan as they waited for news about Pilar. Amy had fallen asleep in his arms and looking at her he remembered another baby girl he had held in his arms. Her name was Melanie and he was her daughter, no matter what paternity tests said. After Theresa had left him Gwen had come to him claiming she was pregnant with his child, so he had married her, and that child had been the light after the darkness of his life without Theresa. Three years ago, when Melanie had been two she and Gwen had been in a car accident and Melanie had needed a blood transfusion, and because of special components in her blood it needed to be a parent, Gwen hadn't had those components and neither had he, and one parent had to. When Ethan found out that his daughter wasn't really his he was heartbroken and helpless to do anything for her. Melanie died that night and Ethan had never forgiven Gwen for not telling him the truth, Melanie had been the only thing that kept them together and when she died their marriage died with her. After the divorce he'd never spoken to Gwen again, and he hoped he never would.  
"Luis, how's mama?"  
Ethan's head shot up as he heard her voice and there she was, only standing a few feet away.  
  
Theresa walked up to Pilar's floor and was greeted by Luis, Miguel, Kay and Sheridan all hugging her and telling her that Pilar was still with the doctors. She hugged them all back and it was then she saw him, for a moment she just stared at him, a million emotions, memories, and feelings all running through her mind at the same time, and he was looking at her in much the same way. Why hadn't it occurred to her that he might be there? It seemed like they had stared at each other for hours and then Theresa saw the baby, and she turned away, his and Gwen's no doubt. She fought the urge to cry and turned to Luis, ignoring Ethan, he wasn't in her heart anymore and he didn't matter. "When can I see her?"  
"The doctor said in a little while, they're still running some tests, it's so good to see you little sis," he said hugging her again.  
"You too, Luis."  
Theresa sat down next to Luis and ignored Ethan who was sitting behind her, Sheridan was asking her about her company, Fate, but Theresa could only give half-hearted answers, she'd been through so much stress in the last twenty four hours, and the shock of seeing Ethan had yet to leave her, she had hoped that she would never see him again and here he was, and she couldn't stop thinking about him, and she was angry. What right did he have? He wasn't family; he didn't deserve to be there.  
  
Ethan was so surprised when Theresa came in that it took him a moment to realize that it was really her. He watched her hug her friends and family and then she turned to him, and she looked at him as if she couldn't believe he was there, and then she turned away as if he didn't even exist. He had been hoping…what? That she'd burst into tears and declare that she still loved him? He didn't know what he wanted from her, he had dreamed about seeing her and now that she was here there was nothing he could say, he just couldn't make his mouth work. And then she hat down in the chair in front of him, and it was torture, to be so close to the person you loved with every fiber of your being but not being able to reach out to her.   
A little while later Amy woke up and began to fuss so he took her outside for some fresh air, they both needed it.  
When he came back Theresa was gone.  
He rounded on Luis. "Where is she?" he asked.  
"With Mama, the doctor came out and said she could have a visitor."  
"You didn't tell me she was coming," Ethan said accusingly.  
"We thought you two should work things out and you can't do that if you refuse to be in the same place together," said Luis calmly.  
"Work things out? She hates me! I wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to look at me let alone talk to me."  
"It's okay Ethan, we'll get her to talk to you," said Miguel confidently.   
Ethan looked over at Sheridan and Luis, they were so happy together and they had a little girl name Emily and she was so adorable, Ethan wished he had a child, that Melanie was still with him.  
  
Theresa walked into the hospital room and looked at her mother, she was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, and more grey in her hair than Theresa could ever remember seeing. She took Pilar's hand and was surprised to see how light it was.  
"Mama, it's Theresa," she said softly, hating to see her mother like this, it had always seemed to her like Pilar would live forever and seeing her like this brought back the reality.  
Pilar opened her eyes and smiled. "Therisita, I missed you."  
"I missed you too, Mama," said Theresa thinking that she had only seen her mother about eight times in the last five years and vowing that would change.  
"Eve says I'm going to be fine, thank you for coming back, I know it must not be easy for you—,"  
"I fine Mama, let's not talk about me, how have you been doing?" asked Theresa but it was in vain, Pilar wasn't giving up.  
"Theresa, I want you to talk to Ethan—," Theresa began to interrupt but Pilar held up a hand. "You never know what will happen tomorrow, life has no guarantees and you don't want it to end holding grudges, please talk to him."  
"But Mama I just got here—," she tried to protest but Pilar was adamant so Theresa promised she would talk to Ethan.  
"You can't get on with the future until you resolve the past," Pilar said before Theresa left.  



	3. Three

Ethan watched as Theresa came back. He tried to suppress the feelings he still felt for her after all of this time, but it was useless, he still loved her as much as he had the day she had left, he had never stopped loving her and he didn't think he ever would. He got up and walked to her his knees wobbly and his palms clammy and sweaty, he needed to talk to her, he had no naïve notions that he could explain everything and she'd fall into his arms but he wanted to tell her what had happened, to redeem himself in her eyes. He walked up to her and the glare she gave him made it hard to force the words out of his mouth. "Theresa, can we talk?"  
  
She was quiet for a moment and then reluctantly she nodded. Theresa watched in silence a she handed the baby over to Sheridan and then she followed him outside, she didn't know what she would say, she had gone over this moment for a long time but all of the arguments and hateful things she had concocted in her mind vanished and she felt like that seventeen year old girl who had been tongue tied around her crush, she remembered what a mess she had made of things in the beginning, spilling paint on him and all of those other embarrassing accidents. She looked up and they were in the small gardens behind the hospital. Theresa sat down on a bench and then looked up at Ethan.  
  
Ethan looked at Theresa, the moonlight was shining down on her and she looked just as she did six years ago and then he saw how she had changed, her eyes were dull where they had always shined and her lips remained pressed together in a permanent frown, the light that always followed her into every room was also gone, it had been one of the things he loved most about her, her ability to light up a room…to light up his life. He didn't even realize he was staring until she spoke.  
"What?" she snapped at him wondering why he was scrutinizing her, she hadn't changed that much.  
"We need to talk," he said though he kept his eyes on her, she had changed so much.  
"So I've heard…" There was a moment of silence. "Do you remember the Harmony summer festival when I dumped paint on you?" asked Theresa not looking up into his eyes.  
"Yeah," said Ethan smiling, how could he forget? He had come back from law school; the stuck up rich boy and his pride had been bruised when he'd had to go around covered in blue paint.  
Theresa looked up at him and her eyes were cold, "I wish I had never met you because it was the worst day of my entire life. I should have listened to Luis and Whitney, they knew that you could never love me. They both told me it wouldn't work out but I didn't listen. I hate myself for being so blind and naïve," she said frigidly, burying the knife in Ethan's heart a little deeper, she wanted him to hurt as much as she had.  
Ethan couldn't believe how unfeeling she sounded, this wasn't his Theresa, the Theresa who you could just look at and know what she was feeling, one of the most emotionally honest people he had ever met. "Theresa I loved you, I'm sorry-"  
"You're what? Sorry? Apologies don't mean anything to me, my husband apologized all of the time but he didn't mean it so why should you? Don't waste your breath; I don't believe you are one bit sorry. Gwen was probably better in bed than me any way," she said laughing harshly.  
"Theresa what is wrong with you? What happened to the sweet, kind, person I fell in love with?" he asked desperate to find any trace of the woman he loved.  
"Surprise Ethan, she's dead and so is her love for you so don't even think about trying to mend what you tore apart. When I told you I hated you I meant it and I still do, so this talk is useless. I moved on and I married Demitris," she said automatically covering her neck wound. "Even if he was an asshole he never went behind my back and cheated on me," she neglected to mention the fact that he cheated on her right in front of her face and even flaunted it. "I'd rather be hit than betrayed any day. Well we did 'talk' so you can tell Mama I did what she told me to do," said Theresa standing up and walking away.  
Ethan went after her and spun her around; he wanted her to understand that he had never stopped loving her. "Listen to me Theresa. What you saw between Gwen and I was not my fault, she drugged me!"  
"Sure she did," said Theresa sarcastically as she pulling away.  
"You have no right to hate me Theresa. I know you probably found out that Gwen was pregnant and I married her but…Melanie wasn't mine….and she was the reason I stayed with Gwen. Melanie died a few years ago, Theresa."  
Theresa turned around and looked at him and her heart broke for him, no matter how much she hated Ethan, losing a child was something no person should ever go through, to wonder about the future, what could have been, there was nothing worse in the world than that.  
"That baby in there isn't mine either, she's my niece." Ethan looked into her eyes and for a moment he saw deep sadness and pain and something else but it was quickly replaced with the unfeeling facade.  
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said walking away from him and back towards the hospital.  
  
Ethan sighed and slowly followed behind. He told Luis to give Pilar his love and then he took Amy and drove home. His house was right next to the ocean with its back to the beach. There was a thick row of trees and bushes blocking the view of the ocean but he could hear it and the sound soothed him. He sat down on a lawn chair with Amy in his lap. It was such a beautiful summer night, he had loved nights like this, when he and Theresa had been dating they'd spent many nights at the beach, watching the ocean and the stars, he felt a terrible ache in his heart when ever he thought about it, there was nothing more he wanted than to hold her in his arms again and tell her that he loved her.  
  
Theresa stayed at the hospital and talked to Eve who said with a few weeks of rest Pilar would be fine, she rejoiced in the news, a part of her wanted to leave for New York and get away from the drudged up past but a part of her also felt like she was home and she couldn't leave so soon. When Pilar had fallen asleep for the night Theresa decided to find a hotel but Luis and Sheridan wouldn't have it.  
"We have an empty guest room, please come stay?" pleaded Sheridan and Theresa couldn't resist.  
"Okay, I have a few places to go first and then I'll come over, I promise."  
Theresa got in her car and drove to the beach. The lighthouse was on and she could see its light, calling sailors home. She got out of her car and took off her shoes, the sand under her feet felt wonderful and the song of the ocean made her heart swell. She had missed nights like this, the smell of the breeze, the sound of the ocean, the feeling of her feet sinking into the damp sand…cuddled up next to Ethan. She felt a wave of shame and anger at herself, she had been so horrible to him…but he had hurt her first. She tried to reason with herself that she shouldn't feel bad but she did. The thing that she was most angry about was that she actually wanted to believe him…she wanted to believe that he was sorry, but she couldn't.   
She sat down in the sand with some trees at her back and the ocean in front of her, and as she was bombarded by memories she looked up at the night sky sprinkled with stars and she did the only thing she could…she cried.  
  
Ethan was in his back yard as anger seethed through him. He had went over his conversation with Theresa in his head when he realized that she said her husband hit her, was that where the bruise had come from? He should have realized, but he'd been so busy hoping she would forgive him that he hadn't asked, not that she was likely to tell him the truth any way. He was so mad that he was tempted to fly to New York and kill the bastard…he had changed her, made her into someone Ethan didn't even recognize but he knew that part of it was his fault, he should have tried harder to explain to her what had happened with he and Gwen. He missed the Theresa he loved so much, he used to be able to just look into her eyes and know how she was feeling but it wasn't like that anymore.  
Nothing in his life was how it was supposed to be. He laid back and his thoughts drifted to Melanie. She had the softest blonde hair and she would sit on his lap and put her arms around his neck and give him kisses on the cheek and she had loved the park, the swings most of all, Ethan had spent many hours pushing her on a swing while she laughed and begged to go higher, she had been such a daddy's little girl. As he allowed himself to think about all of the things he missed about his daughter his heart broke all over again. It was then he heard someone crying, not Amy's but deep, heart wrenching sobs, it was coming from the other side of the foliage blocking his view of the beach. The he heard a voice as knew that it was Theresa.   
  
"I just don't know what to do. I can still see his face when I told him I hated him. I don't know why I was so cruel. I guess I'm afraid that I'll get hurt all over again," she said wiping away her tears, she just wanted to tell someone how hurt she felt and the ocean seemed like the perfect secret keeper so she let everything in her heart pour out. "And when he told me about his daughter Melanie all I could do was tell him I was sorry for his loss. I out of all people should know that kind of pain," she said thinking of her own child…her and Ethan's child. "I wish I could tell him that I'm sorry." She knew her pride would never let her but she was truly sorry for the things she had said. She sat looking at the ocean for a few more minutes and then she decided to leave. She got up and with a huge sigh she walked back to her car.  
  
Ethan sat there in silence, relief flooding through him, what he had just heard…that was Theresa, the real one. He knew that he had to make things right again because as long as he lived he knew that he could never find the happiness that he had found with her, and even if in the end she didn't want to be with him anymore he at least wanted her friendship, he wanted her to smile, to laugh and no matter what he was determined to make things right. He went into the house and picked up the phone.  



End file.
